Jesse Itzler's Atlanta

Masters of Reinvention -The ever-evolving Big Peach is the perfect place for a highly energized serial entrepreneur and endurance athlete.

Although he only recently turned 53, Jesse Itzler has lived a series of lives - as a successful rapper, entrepreneur, author, speaker and endurance athlete. As co-founder of Marquis Jet (which he sold to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.) and ZICO Coconut Water (which he sold to The Coca-Cola Company), Itzler is no stranger to the fast-growth start-up sector. But these days, you’re most likely to find the billionaire in the Atlanta suburb of Buckhead, chasing after his four children or putting himself through a grueling workout.

In person, Itzler emits a low-key vibe in direct opposition to the countless ideas that flow from him, seemingly effortlessly. He thought it would be cool to summit Mt. Everest but without the frostbite and risk of death, so he rented a Vermont mountain and climbed it 17 times to match the same number of vertical miles. He wanted to shake himself out of rut so he asked a Navy SEAL come live with him and wrote a best-selling book about it -- Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet.

Clearly this is a guy who doesn’t think like most people. Rather than worry that things might not work out, Itzler’s strategy is to go big and assume success is already guaranteed. And it often is because he also believes in making the most of each day. “I just feel like I get one shot. Statistically, I have about 30% of my life left, given my age and the average lifespan. That’s crazy! I don’t want to have a boring 30%. I want to go nuts, do as much as I can possibly do,” he said.

With his New York accent it’s clear Itzler’s roots are far from the South, but when he married SPANX shapewear founder Sara Blakely in 2008, more time in Atlanta became inevitable. While the couple initially went back and forth between New York and the Big Peach, Atlanta is now home and he’s adjusted nicely. “I love it here. Everything is central and it’s easy to get around. The weather is amazing. It’s a slower pace, but when I sit in my yard I can hear birds. You just don’t get that in Manhattan,” he said.

An influx of millennials and Fortune 500 companies makes it a unique time in the city’s 185-year history. “Right now, you get people who are multi-generational Atlantans but then you have a whole mix of new people who moved here six months ago or a year ago. They want to have a social community too so you’ve got the traditional Southern hospitality mixed with this new, ‘Will you be my friend? I’m new here,’ kind of thing. It’s very cool,” he said.

Part of what has attracted newcomers is the increasing walkability that makes the most of the city’s attractions and green spaces. The Atlanta BeltLine is an ambitious $70-million project to convert a 22-mile loop of unused railroad tracks into parks, walking paths and temporary art installations. The Ponce City Market has transformed the largest brick historic structure in the Southeast into a chic food hall and specialty retail space with a distinctly hip, urban feel (with a dizzying range of culinary choices). Downtown, a $1.6 billion football stadium with a retractable roof is steps away from the popular Georgia Aquarium, Coca-Cola museum and 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park. Even Itzler’s neighborhood is making big changes. “It used to be you had to drive everywhere but now you can park in the heart of Buckhead and walk to grocery stores, restaurants or great retail like the Shops at Buckhead. That’s something that’s really changed a lot over the past five years,” Itzler said.

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but don’t expect to see Itzler enjoying it at a local eatery. He’s only had fruit before noon for over 30 years because he finds it help fuel his non-stop energy. Lunch and dinner are a different story though. He and his kids are a big smoothie fans and frequent health-conscious spots like Arden’s Garden and Kale Me Crazy, where, fitting his “go big or go home” philosophy, Itzler holds the restaurant’s record for most acai bowls eaten in a single sitting.

At dinnertime Itzler appreciates quality ingredients and a lively atmosphere. “There’s an amazing sushi restaurant called Umi and it rivals any New York City restaurant. It’s always crowded and has a super cool vibe, and the sushi is just so fresh and inventive,” he said. “I also like a restaurant called Yebo Beach Haus. They switch the theme of the place throughout the year. In the winter they make it a ski house and do huge bonfires and s’mores so it feels like you just got off the mountain, and then in the summer they do a whole beach shack kind of thing,” he said.

As a self-proclaimed “outdoor guy,” Itzler regularly explores the natural beauty in and around town. “The Chattahoochee River runs through the city and we’ve got these beautiful lakes like Lake Burke and Lake Lanier that are great for boating. Stone Mountain is a great place to hike or bike,” he said. “Someone could literally swim in a lake, hike a mountain and then head downtown for a basketball game or football game and everything is within a 30 minute drive. That’s really unusual.”

With all the intense exercise he does, Itzler loves to unwind with a massage or relax in a fiery hot sauna. While he hasn’t yet found a replacement for his favorite New York City bath house, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta offers a pampering digital detox treatment designed especially for busy overachievers.

With the largest and busiest airport in the world, Atlanta has no plans to slow down and neither does Itzler. As a co-owner of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, look for him courtside, cheering on a team whose city’s propensity for endless re-invention rivals his own.

“My life isn’t boring at all. But I’m not like, ‘Let’s go shopping,’ or ‘Let’s go out.’ I’m more like, ‘Let’s jump off a cliff.’”

Barbara Wayman is the author of Living An Extraordinary Life: 9 Transformational Strategies to Live Your Best Life Now.

Click here to see her latest book: https://amzn.to/32lthPX